CHROMO Countdown: 12

Today is June 18th, and that means you only have 12 more days to pre-order the special edition of CHROMOPHOBIA. You can place your order HERE.

Today’s story:

“The Color of Friendship”

by KC Grifant

Not that she wasn’t happy for her friends, of course she was. She was just catching up to them, on the brink of having it all together, like they did. She had, after all, been the one with the best grades, all of the extracurricular activities, and Bobby as her boyfriend their junior year. But it fell apart when they were seniors. When Bobby broke up with her to go out with Amita, she had taken it in stride. And when Monique made valedictorian over her, obviously, Brianna was happy for her friend. And Ginger had gotten the fashion internship they had both tried for their first year of college. Monique was the smart one, Ginger ambitious, Amita prettiest. And where did Brianna fit in, aside from organizing their occasional get-together? Spinning her wheels, constantly waiting for the next big thing.

She stopped paddling to open a pistachio nut bar, forcing herself to—what did her therapist call it—take a positive reframe. Maybe this trip would be just what she needed to get her out of her rut, inspire her to find the precise course of actions to get her life back on track.

A gulp of water bubbled up next to her. Brianna screeched, dropping her bar into the lake.

A mound the size of a soccer ball and the color of overcooked peas broke the surface. A flipper—no, a hand. A cross between the two, with three dark green, finger-like webbed digits grasping the bobbing bar.

The flipper hand and bar disappeared.

A scream choked in Brianna’s throat.

Don’t call attention to yourself.

She forced herself to pick up the paddle but froze. Alligator. Brianna’s thoughts struggled to name it. Shark, fish.

None of those.

Of course, it hadn’t been a hand.

Some sort of lizard, obviously. She had dated someone with a pet iguana once. They could make good companions. Curiosity got the better of her and her breath came easier as the lake stayed still, peaceful. She lowered the paddle and rummaged in her backpack. She pulled out another bar, unwrapped it and threw a piece in the water, farther away from the boat.

After a second, bubbles appeared again, and the hand-flipper grabbed the bar. She waited, hoping to see more of the animal, but the water grew still again.

Brianna laughed to herself. “I made a friend.”

***

Now… you have less than two weeks left to get a copy of this gorgeous hardcover book!

You can pre-order your hardcover edition of CHROMOPHOBIA HERE.

And, remember…